“Marzipan!” Valeron called out. “Marzipan where are you?” The girl with the thick metal collar about her neck emerged from behind a bookcase, startled to see everyone in such a rush

  “What’s the meaning of this?” she asked. “Why are you yelling?”

  “Marzipan,” Ignatius said, slapping his palms flat upon the desk between them. “Someone has been poisoned by eels. I need antidote to cure them, as fast as you can!”

  “Eels you say?” she asked. “I haven’t created a batch of eel anti-venom in some time. Are they Rignus eels or Faltherions?”

  “I-I don’t know!” stammered Ignatius. I was told they were freshwater eels from the bogs of Steelbriair.”

  “Steelbriar, you say?” looking quite interested as she scratched her chin in thought. “Were they green or black eels?”

  “What’s the difference?” Ignatius asked.

  “Those are two entirely separate colors.” Quipped Robert. For his effort, Ignatius shot him such a filthy look that he decided not to say any more.

  “Atticus mentioned that these were black and long.” He offered.

  “Ahh, Rignus eels.” She nodded. “Very nasty. Their venom can cause paralysis and even death if not treated in time.”

  “Please!” begged Siouxsie. “You have to help Morell! He’s a dear friend of ours!”

  “I have the components, but I’ll need to build a fire to cook the ingredients together.” Ignatius reached over and snatched his wise cracking brother by back of the cloak.

  “Hey! Let go of me!” Robert flailed as his feet lifted from the floor.

  “Here, one sharp tongued fire starter.” said Ignatius, setting his brother down in front of the desk. “He’ll make it as hot as you like. Robert, stay here and do whatever she says.”

  “What are you going to do?” he asked.

  “Time is of the essence. Siouxsie will accompany me out to hasten the others. Let us hope whatever has taken hold of Morell has not done him in for good.” Siouxsie chased him from the place to leave Robert and the girl alone. Marzipan quickly moved from aisle to aisle of the shelves, selecting powders, oils and other ingredients for the antidote.

  “You have the smell of the creek upon you.” she told Robert. “Any luck in getting my sister to appear?”

  “Not yet.” he snorted. “I almost had her and she used a spell to immobilize me.”

  “Ah. The phantom tantrum,” she smiled “A less used spell but a common one we all know here. Easy to learn and it’s not as lethal as fire, wind and lightning.”

  “I’ve never heard of it.” He admitted. “We don’t have it where we come from.”

  “I find it very strange that you and your siblings come from another tribe of witches we’ve never heard of, which means that its far away, yet your brother seems very familiar with the area around Spellvale. You dress almost identically to us save for your cloaks being made of blackened leather, and your spells are the same. Now I’m not the smartest witch in all the coven, but I believe this can mean one of two things, Robert; either a mountain of coincidences has been piled at our feet…”

  “Or?” Robert asked, trying his hardest not to sound nervous

  “Or…” she stopped to look him in the eyes. “You and your siblings are hiding the truth from the rest of us.” A very real chill found him and he tried his very best not to break Marzipan’s intent gaze. “You’re not here to hurt us, are you Robert?” she asked.

  “No. None of us are here to hurt anyone.” He said, thankful that was part of the truth. “We just want to find our friends and go home. This whole ordeal with Siouxsie and the Lightning Witch was entirely unexpected. We didn’t know she’d be here or that there would be this kind of upheaval. We didn’t come here to upset anyone.”

  “But why did you come here?” she asked with one eyebrow lifted in curiosity. “Why come here, which by your own words is such a very far distance from a place, a place you won’t tell us where it is, now, only to accidently take part in the greatest transfer of power our tribe has ever seen?” Marizpan set her armload of potion components upon a table next to a fireplace and stood with her head down at the floor. She sighed deeply before looking back to him. “I may have been born at night, Robert, But I wasn’t born last night. You know something. And if you know something important, you should tell us.”

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  “All we want to do is find our friends and leave.” He said bluntly. “That’s it.”

  “Will Siouxsie be leaving with you?”

  “Why wouldn’t she? She’s my twin. We go everywhere together.”

  “What if Siouxsie wants to stay here with us?” Marzipan asked, grabbing a few handfuls of kindling and tossing them atop a few fresh logs seated beneath a cauldron. “Here, fire.”

  “Why would she want to do that?” he asked before raising his arms in a “V”. A pair of white fireballs “poofed” into existence in his palms before being pitched onto the wood.

  “Because being the Lightning Witch is at the center of all witchdom. Because while Siouxsie is here, she’ll be doted upon morning noon and night and be afforded lavish adoration for the guiding light she is. You claim you didn’t know the lightning witch would be here, yet you brought her with you, Robert. How can you not know what she is, and if you did know what she is, why haven’t you been treating her in the manner that is unsuitable of her station?”

  “I don’t like your tone.” said Robert. “Yes, Siouxsie was born with lightning power, but she hasn’t even been able to use it until as of late. And no, we didn’t know the Lightning Witch was going to be here. Where we come from, the Lightning Witch is a thing of legend. I am in awe of having been in her presence. We all were. But as for how my sister is treated…” his voice lowered a little with agitation. “you haven’t been with us since the beginning and if you had been then you would know that there is no higher pedestal I could place her upon. I’d kill a hundred horsemen with my bare hands if it would make life good for her.”

  “Yes, but wouldn’t be easier to simply leave her in the care of adoring masses who would give her comfort and protection every day of her life and leave the bloodshed of horsemen out of it?” Her point struck deep. Robert found himself without an answer while Marzipan dumped the ingredients for the antidote into the small pot. Instead, he stood silent and let the words swirl their meaning in his skull like a bowl of mush being pushed around with a spoon.

  “She’s happy where she is.” He finally expelled. “She’s always happy with us.”

  “Is she?” Marzipan asked. “Have you asked her what she wants, or have you just been leading her about the whole time and she just doesn’t want to upset you or your brother? I personally have never met a person who wouldn’t be thrilled at the idea of being waited on hand and foot in exchange of being bestowed greater power than anyone in the world.”

  “That’s not the person Siouxsie is.” he said. “She wouldn’t want that.”

  “How do you know when she’s just been afforded such things for the very first time? Is it your happiness you’re most concerned with or hers? Would you take such a thing away from her for your own satisfaction of what you think is best?” hearing Marizpan’s words, he immediately recalled what Hoxley had asked him in the stable outside the Wayward Archer:

  

  “You would sacrifice Siouxsie’s happiness for your own?” asked Hoxley

  “She’s happy with me.” he’d told her. “We don’t need anyone but each other.”

  “Is that the way she feels?”

  “Stop talking about my sister.” Robert seethed at Marzipan

  “I’m only trying open your mind, Robert, not make it up for you.”

  “I said be silent.” Robert growled.

  “I’m sorry.” She said, holding up her hands in a defensive gesture. “It was not my intent to upset you.”

  “Do you need any more fire?” he asked gruffly.

  “No, this should be just fine to make the antidote.”

  “Then I’ll be waiting outside.” He said turning on his heel to exit the chamber.

  Meanwhile, over a few horizons to the south, Ignatius and Siouxsie sped past the treetops in search of their friends. The further they flew the more anxious she became that they’d reach their friends in time. It was upon their approach of the crest of a tall hill where Ignatius signaled to get her attention and pointed to two forms below. Each circled about and dropped from the sky to land before Atticus and Loxo cradling a very pale boy with red hair. They didn’t stop hurrying but slowed to allow the witches to run beside them.